Acree was last seen at her family's Chicago, Illinois home on January 15, 2008. That day she went to the North Lawndale YMCA, where she was involved in sports and other activities. After she came home, she did a load of laundry and went to bed. She was gone by the next morning. Acree's parents said there were indications of a break-in at their residence; two locks on an outside fence and a lock on the basement door had been cut. Acree's bedroom was in the basement. Her room appeared untouched and nothing was taken, not even Acree's eyeglasses.

Police believe Acree may have run away from home, but her family doesn't agree with this theory. She was a freshman at Austin Polytech Academy at the time of her disappearance, and was about to start a new job. She has no history of runaway behavior, but accounts differ as to whether or not she was happy with her life. Her family has criticized the police investigation into her disappearance. Authorities admitted they made serious errors at the onset of the investigation by not immediately dusting for fingerprints and not taking the broken lock from the basement door.

Acree's mother died when she was young, and she spent several years in foster care in Kentucky before being adopted by her aunt. Her case remains unsolved.